Nothing Phone (4a) review

Introduction

Aesthetics play a huge part in Nothing’s identity, and it would frankly be weird for the design-heavy company to release a device that is too similar to its predecessor. At the same time, they have to maintain their recognizability, which often requires consistency and continuity. The Nothing Phone (4a) teaches a master class in achieving both at the same time.

At first glance, you might dismiss it as just another Nothing device with a semi-transparent back and a horizontal camera island. And sure, while both of these aspects are present and make for a nicely recognizable look, the Nothing Phone (4a) still manages to look fresh and very little like the Nothing Phone (3a) when it actually comes down to the details.

Nothing Phone (4a) specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.0×77.6×8.6mm, 205g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 7i), plastic frame, glass back; IP64 dust tight and water resistant (water splashes), Manufacturer-rated water-resistant (up to 25cm for 20 min), 63 mini-LEDs, 6 individually addressable zones.
• Display: 6.78″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 4500 nits (peak), 1224x2720px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 440ppi; Ultra HDR image support.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7635-AC Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×2.7 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 810.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 16, Nothing OS 4.1, up to 3 major Android upgrades.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.57″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 50 MP, f/2.9, 80mm, 1/2.75″, 0.64µm, PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120-degree, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 22mm (wide), 1/3.42″, 0.64µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS, OIS, Dolby Vision HDR; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5080mAh; 50W wired, 50% in 22 min, 100% in 64 min, 7.5W reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.4; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

Refinement is the name of the game here. Not only visually but also in terms of hardware. Don’t expect any major sweeping changes or upgrades, but compared to its predecessor, the Nothing Phone (4a) still has a few things going for it, like a slightly bigger and brighter display with a higher resolution.

The chipset has been swapped and upgraded a generation from the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. Most storage tiers this year also get faster storage chips. The telephoto camera has been tweaked somewhat and now has a much better 3.5x (80mm) zoom factor. In fact, “tweaked” might be underselling it, since you now get a periscope design.

Finally, the battery has grown some – by a largely imperceptible 80 mAh in most markets, but with a more meaningful 400 mAh in India.

Unboxing

The Nothing Phone (4a) comes in a two-piece thick cardboard box with a sleeve on top. There is a cradle at the bottom of the case, which is good for keeping the phone safe during transit. It also seems to be made of cardboard, making it eco-friendly.

There is no charger in the box. A label on the outside recommends a 50W PD unit, but more on that in the charging section. You still get a Nothing-branded USB Type-C to Type-C, 3A passive, non-e-marked cable as part of the retail package and Nothing’s funky SIM ejector tool. Another thing Nothing has decided to throw inside the box this year is a thick, transparent, soft TPU case. So, not that bad on the accessory front, all things considered.